Private Plans Pay 84% Of Emergency Room Appendicitis Bills, Researchers Find

Employers and benefits advisors could use a new database to find places where kidney care or diabetes care costs a lot more than it should.

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Health Care Spending Varies Dramatically Across U.S. Counties

In 2023, U.S. health expenditures surged by 7.5%, reaching $4.9 trillion, or an average of $14,570 per person, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

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This Breakfast Food Might Prevent Colon Cancer

A new study published on Feb. 12 says that eating yogurt could do more than just provide a delicious breakfast or snack – it could prevent colon cancer. In the study, which was published in the journal “Gut Biomes,” doctors and scientists from Mass General Brigham examined two studies of more than 150,000 people who ...

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DOGE Working With Two Trump Health Appointees To Examine Medicare And Medicaid Books

The Trump administration has tasked two top political appointees with monitoring the Department of Government Efficiency’s access to key systems inside the health agency responsible for managing Medicare and Medicaid, according to internal emails obtained by POLITICO. The appointees, Kim Brandt and John Brooks, are leading the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ “collaboration” with ...

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New House Bill Would Expand HSAs To Help Workers Pay For Direct Primary Care

A lawmaker has brought back a frequently introduced bill that could help workers use their health savings accounts to pay for direct primary care — and this time it might have a decent chance to become law. Rep. Lloyd Smucker, R-Pa., has introduced a version of the Primary Care Enhancement Act for the 119th Congress. Workers can ...

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California Carrier Partner Updates

Here is an overview of updates from our California carrier, health plan, and administrator partners. For details, click on the related link (if any). Bonus Updates Health Net 2025 Large Group Incentive: Health Net brokers can earn 2% of paid premiums for 12 months for each new Large Group employer sold. Download the Health Net flyer ...

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Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Shake-Up Leaves Medical Debt Reform In Limbo

The fate of a Biden-era rule that would keep medical debt from consumers’ credit reports is up in the air amid reported stoppages within the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the new administration’s broader hold on recently finalized regulations. Jan. 7, the bureau issued a final rule on consumer protection, which also prohibits lenders from considering ...

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Americans Generally Agree That Access, Safety Should Top Nation’s Public Health Priorities

One in four respondents selected health care access as their highest priority for public health.

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Bill Would Allow AI to Prescribe Drugs

Artificial intelligence (AI) could be used to prescribe medications to patients — if a new bill makes its way through Congress. The proposed legislationopens in a new tab or window, sponsored by Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.), would amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to clarify that AI and machine learning technologies can qualify as ...

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Hospitals’ Strong December Caps A Year Of Rising Operating Margins

The past year was a step in the right direction for the hospital industry as outpatient revenue and below-inflation expense increases fueled a 9% year-over-year increase in 12-month operating margins. The new numbers from advisory firm Kaufman Hall run through December and reflect operating data from 1,300 hospitals nationwide as collected by Strata. Those hospitals ...

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